


Meet You in The Convenience Store

by hyoseopsjam



Category: Penthouse War in Life
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Mutual Pining, Random & Short, Teen Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28749672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyoseopsjam/pseuds/hyoseopsjam
Summary: A damned Choco Pie.For Ro Na, it was something that started an annoying relationship between her and the mischievous guy, Seok Hoon.For Seok Hoon, it was what made him develop something deeper for Ro Na.How would the two realize each other's love if they both disguise their feelings by annoying the hell out of each other?
Relationships: Joo Seok Hoon & Bae Ro Na
Comments: 5
Kudos: 54





	1. The Fight Over The Choco Pie

[ Bae Ro Na ]

"Wake up, honey. It's almost 10 am. We still need to go to your school to pick up some documents." A faint voice resonated across the room but it was clear enough for Ro Na to realize that it was her mom talking. 

Ro Na slowly opened her eyes and adjusted to the bright sunlight coming from her room's windows. Apparently, Yoon Hee opened up the curtains to help her wake up faster. 

"Mom, it's only 8 am. You said it's already 10." Ro Na complained after checking the time on her bedside clock. She hated it when her mom makes her feel alarmed for waking up late, when in fact, it is still early in the morning.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I had to tell you that so I can wake you up. And please, don't go back to sleep. Remember, we have to go to your school." Yoon Hee planted a soft kiss on Ro Na's forehead before leaving the room. It was as if suddenly all the negative vibes Ro Na had from waking up vanished. "Mom really knows my soft spot." Ro Na thought out loud before flashing a bright smile.

With that, she decided to finally get out of the bed. She fixed her bed first before proceeding with her morning routine.

Ro Na was in the middle of taking a bath when she figured that there's only a month left before classes resume. " I should probably spend the remaining days of my vacation having fun." Ro Na thought to herself. She only had a few days left anyway before she starts stressing herself out with school.

After showering, Ro Na decided to wear a white off-shoulder top paired with blue denim shorts and a high-cut Converse shoes. It was summer so she wanted to wear comfortable clothes. She also tied her hair into a ponytail and put on some light makeup and perfume.

A few minutes after, Ro Na was done so she decided to go down to have breakfast. Just in time, Yoon Hee was done setting the table.

"Do we have plans after school, Mom?" Ro Na asked before taking a bite of the sandwich her mom made.

"I'm going to the clinic to visit your uncle. Why? Do you have other plans?" 

Ro Na just shook her head. "None really. Though I want to make the most out of my vacation so can I hang out with my friends after?" Yoon Hee gave her a smile and nodded. "Sure, sweetie. Just be home early okay? Finish your meal so we can go already." 

A few minutes passed and the both of them were ready to go. They decided to take the bus since the subway is quite busy during summer. Ro Na just looked out the window while listening to music, pretending that she was a star in a music video. The weather was nice and it really made her feel good. She had hoped summer won't end. It's her favorite season anyway.

It took about 15 minutes of bus ride before they arrived. Surprisingly, Ro Na missed school. It's been two months since the last time she was here. Nothing changed much, but seeing that there are a few students around made her sad. She realized she missed seeing her school busy with playing students. She missed her classmates, especially her friends. They weren't really able to hang out that much during summer.

Yoon Hee then walked towards the school's entrance and Ro Na followed suit. They were on their way to the faculty room since they had to pick up the documents from Ro Na's adviser. They walked passed Ro Na's old classrooms and it was really bringing her so much memories.

A few more steps and they were inside the faculty room. Ro Na didn't really do much since it was Yoon Hee talking to the adviser. She just spent her time looking around, familiarizing herself with the environment once more.

"That's it for today, Ms. Yoon Hee. Ro Na just needs to bring this slip on the first day and nothing else. She already knows it anyway since she's been a student for how many years." Rona heard her adviser, Mr. Gu say. Mr. Gu gave them an envelope containing some documents. And before Ro Na knew it, they were already walking their way out of the school.

"I'll go to the clinic now. Are you going with me?" Yoon Hee asked as they stopped by the bus stop in front of the school. 

"Well, I actually want to go out with my friends now. Will you be okay going to the clinic alone?" Ro Na asked. As much as she wanted to go out and have fun, Ro Na still wanted to make sure her mom would be fine.

"I'll be fine, Ro Na. You're the one who needs to be careful. Go message your friends now and let's wait for them together."

"Mom, it's okay. You'll be late to the clinic." Ro Na looked around to search for some waiting spot. Fortunately, there's a convenience store just a few feet away from the school. "I'll wait for my friends there." She said as she pointed to the convenience store.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you alone." Yoon Hee said, her voice laced with concern. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine. Go ride that bus and I'll go to the store after."

That seemed to convince Yoon Hee as she gave Ro Na a slight nod. A few more seconds and the bus stopped in front of them. Ro Na gave her mom a small wave first before Yoon Hee boarded the bus. She waited for her mom to finally leave before she decided to cross the street and run towards the convenience store.

When Ro Na got inside, she sat down for a minute and messaged her friends, Minhyuk and Seol A. Fortunately, they immediately replied and told her that they'll be there in a few minutes.

Since she would be waiting, she decided to look for some food to munch on. Ro Na walked along the stacks of food and scanned for whatever she found interesting. When she turned to the next shelf, she saw the last piece of Choco Pie, her favorite snack by the way, displayed in the middle part of the shelf.

Ro Na then hurriedly walked towards it and grabbed the snack with her right hand. 'I really missed this snack!' She thought. There were no convenience stores by their neighborhood so it was really rare for her to buy and eat this.

But as if fate was playing a game, Ro Na felt another hand grabbing the piece of Choco Pie away from her.

She looked to her right and saw a tall guy wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans standing beside her, his left hand wrapped around her right hand that was holding the snack. She realized they looked like a couple from their outfits. But Ro Na's attention did not last long on that realization. She realized her Choco Pie was in danger. 

"I grabbed this first!" Ro Na exclaimed. It was evident that she badly wanted the snack. Besides, it's been months since the last time she ate this.

However, the tall guy just smirked at her and pulled the pie, together with her hand, closer to him. Fortunately, Ro Na was gripping on it tight that he was not able to fully snatch the snack from her.

"Let go. I got it first." He said, sounding so much like a jerk. Ro Na rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Look, you literally have your hand around mine, which means I touched and grabbed this first." She said, trying to calm herself down. She could not believe that she was getting this worked up over a snack, but she surely was not going to give this Choco Pie up.

"I don't really care. It should be the one who's able to pay for it first who gets the right to eat this." He said, now pulling the snack closer. Ro Na started to pull on the guy's hand away from the snack but his grip was too strong.

'This guy really is getting on my nerves.' Ro Na thought. She did not even care about the pie anymore. She just wanted to win over him. He was such a douchebag she just felt her blood boil all over.

She stopped pulling on the snack and stared at him intently. She decided she could not win over this pulling game, given his physique. 

"Let's just fight fair and square. Rock, paper, scissors. The one who wins of course gets the snack." Ro Na said, determined to win the snack. Annoyingly though, the guy just let out a chuckle and looked at her with playful eyes.

"I'm not gonna play that stupid game. Just give it to me."

"No! You give it to me."

The two were then back into playing a tug of war with the snack. Surprisingly, the wrapper was still intact since both were careful of not ruining the snack.

Unfortunately, this guy was too strong. Ro Na could not even shrug away the guy's hand. But she really wanted to get this snack, and to win over this jerk. She tried to think of strategies to make him let go of the snack.

And just like that, an idea popped in her mind. 'This Choco Pie is mine.' Ro Na thought to herself before renewing her grip on the Choco Pie.

Ro Na decided to move closer to the guy, her body just a few inches away from his. He realized what Ro Na just did and that made him stiffen a bit. But he still was pulling on the snack.

Ro Na then decided to just let all her shame go out the window and decided to plant a smack on his cheek. 'That should do the trick, hopefully.' Ro Na internally prayed.

She moved away from him and witnessed how the guy's eyes widen in surprise. He was not moving for a minute or two. Ro Na took that as an opportunity to grab the snack from him and run towards the cashier to pay. She did not even bother getting the change and just ran as far as she could from that store.

'What the hell did I just do?' Ro Na asked herself when she stopped by a bench. She felt her heartbeat double and her face heat up in embarrassment. It was as if regret suddenly dawned on her. 

Ro Na looked at the snack she was holding. "That was really, really crazy of me." She whispered, slightly laughing at her own stupidity. But at least, she had her Choco Pie. And that douchebag does not have one.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"Mom, we can go alone. You don't have to be there." Seok Hoon said, slightly annoyed. He and Seok Kyung had to go to school today to get some papers for the coming semester, but their mom was adamant on accompanying them.

"Seok Hoon, there's nothing wrong with me going to school with you and Seok Kyung. Seok Kyung does not even complain to me." Su Ryeon stated while fixing the things in her bag. They were all waiting for Seok Kyung to get ready. The lady was still busy dolling herself up.

Seok Hoon, realizing that nothing can stop his mom from going, plopped down on the nearby couch and kept quiet. He knew it would be just a waste of time convincing Su Ryeon to stay home instead.

A few more minutes and Seok Kyung got out of her room, now ready to go. "So I guess we're all done. Let's go? I'll be the one driving." Su Ryeon flashed a smile and walked out of the house.

"I call for passenger seat." Seok Kyung announced. Seok Hoon just rolled his eyes and put his hands in his pockets before following their mother outside.

On the way to school, Su Ryeon and Seok Kyung were busy talking about the coming semester. Seok Hoon just put on his earphones and started listening to music while scrolling on his social media. He thought this was just another normal, boring day.

When they arrived, Seok Kyung noticed the convenience store beside the school. She realized she did not eat breakfast yet as she felt her stomach grumble. "Mom, can we stop by there first? I'm quite hungry."

"I don't think we'll spend much time in the faculty room. Let's just eat after okay?" Seok Kyung pouted at Su Ryeon's statement. Seok Hoon realized that he could just go to the convenience store and avoid being seen in the school with his mom. He then took that as his chance to go.

"I'll go buy your food, Seok Kyung. You and Mom can go inside. I'll just catch up with you later." Seok Kyung and Su Ryeon agreed with what Seok Hoon said. However, unbeknown to them, Seok Hoon does not even plan on following them anymore.

Seok Hoon got out of the car and walked directly to the convenience store. He decided to just buy some food for him and Seok Kyung and wait in the convenience store for the two to finish.

Seok Hoon was walking along the shelves, looking for food Seok Kyung would like. As he turned to the next shelf, he saw the last piece of Choco Pie waiting for someone to pick it up.

He remembered that was Seok Kyung's favorite. He then walked towards the shelf and grabbed the snack. However, he realized, another person grabbed the snack first, which means that he was actually holding that person's hand. Seok Hoon turned to the girl beside him and scanned her from head to toes.

The girl, who was inches shorter than Seok Hoon, also turned to look at him and give him a scowl. "I grabbed this first!" The lady said. Seok Hoon, kinda amazed with the girl's temper and together with his mischeivous nature, had the sudden urge to annoy her more. He then decided to pull on the snack, technically the girl's hand, to which the girl pulled back harder.

"Let go. I got it first." Seok Hoon said, aiming to earn a reaction from her. Fortunately for him, the girl rolled her eyes. Seok Hoon was enjoying it. He did not even give a damn to the Choco Pie. Seok Kyung won't die or something if she doesn't get to eat one. He was just enjoying how annoyed the girl was.

"Look, you literally have your hand around mine, which means I touched and grabbed this first." The lady said in a much calmer tone. Seok Hoon realized she was trying her best not to snap at him. Seok Hoon, however, being the playful guy he is, decided to play provoke her more. Something about the girl made him smile, though that smile was unfortunately translated into a smirk. Seok Hoon thought the girl was interesting.

"I don't really care. It should be the one who's able to pay for it first who gets the right to eat this." He stated, tugging on the snack. The woman then started grabbing Seok Hoon's hand away from from the snack. Seok Hoon got a bit uncomfortable with the touching, but that he immediately ignored as he gripped tighter on the snack. Besides, he already was touching the girl's hand, so the discomfort was unwarranted.

It was evident that the girl was starting to get more annoyed at Seok Hoon. That was Seok Hoon's goal anyway.

The girl then suddenly stopped pulling on the snack and stared at Seok Hoon. "Let's just fight fair and square. Rock, paper, scissors. The one who wins of course gets the snack." She said. However, Seok Hoon just chuckled at her determination to get the snack. Who knew someone would be this competitive over a piece of chocolate pie? That in and of itself was interesting for Seok Hoon.

"I'm not gonna play that stupid game. Just give it to me." He answered, obviously provoking the girl. 

"No! You give it to me."

The two looked like fools as they played a tug of war with the poor snack. Seok Hoon was so close to laughing at their situation but fortunately, he was able to suppress it. He did not want anyone to think he's a weirdo. The situation he's in was already weird enough. 

However, Seok Hoon noticed that something changed. It was as if the girl thought of something ridiculous. As Seok Hoon was about to think of what was it, the girl started to move closer to him. The proximity made him freeze. He could not understand what was happening.

And in just a swift, the girl planted a kiss on Seok Hoon's cheek. He could feel his eyes widen and his face flush in shock. Seconds passed but he was still unable to absorb what just happened.

He just suddenly felt the the girl's hand slip away from his hand and before he knew it, the girl was already out of the convenience store.

As soon as he regained composure, he touched his left cheek and unconsciously smiled. "That thief." He whispered. From that moment on, Seok Hoon could not get rid of the girl in his mind. Like a broken record, the stolen kiss kept replaying on his mind, as if he was watching a movie - the only difference is that it was real. 


	2. The Second Meeting

Chapter Two  
The Second Meeting

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"Hey, Seok Hoon. You've been quiet a while ago. Is something bothering you?" Seok Kyung asked as she plopped down the sofa beside her twin. It has been a few hours since they got home from school, yet Seok Hoon hasn't muttered a word.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking of school." Seok Hoon lied. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of his thoughts of the girl back in the covenience store.

Other than the girl stealing a kiss from him, he knew she was familiar. He just found it hard to remember where and when she saw her.

"School's like a month away. You don't usually worry about that." Seok Kyung stated, skeptical of her twin's words. "You know, we're twins. So I kinda feel that something's wrong with you, to be honest." She was trying her best to get some information from her twin. Not because she was naturally nosy, but because she was concerned. Besides, she wanted to get rid of the feeling of uneasiness knowing her twin was bothered by something she's unaware of.

"It's nothing, Seok Kyung. Don't be too worried over it. I'm going inside now." Seok Hoon said as he stood up and walked towards his room, leaving Seok Kyung clueless.

When he entered, he walked straight to his computer and started logging in on their school's website. He had a hunch that the Choco Pie girl was a schoolmate.

Fortunately, there was a student directory in the website. He started searching the girls in his class. Seok Hoon wasn't really comfortable with his classmates, particularly with female ones, since most of them are very vocal about their feelings for Seok Hoon. It wasn't unknown to Seok Hoon that most of his schoolmates have a crush on him. He was a heartthrob anyway. Because of this, he never really cared about memorizing his classmates' names.

Unfortunately though, the girl wasn't on his class. He then began searching the other classes. Somehow, a voice in his head was telling him that she was of the same year as him.

A few minutes passed and Seok Hoon cleared almost all of the classes except one. 'Are you really even my schoolmate?' Seok Hoon thought to himself. He was becoming hopeless by the minute.

He then decided to just get it over with and started scrolling along the last class' directory. When he got to the females' list, his face lit up as he laid his eyes upon a girl's profile.

"Bae Ro Na." He read. The girl was not wearing a ponytail in the picture, unlike when she was in the convenience store, but Seok Hoon was a hundred percent sure that she was the same girl.

And as if he just won a game, Seok Hoon could not stop smiling knowing the fact that they were indeed schoolmates. He was still unsure as to why he was feeling the way he feels, but he knew that he was happy to know that he might just meet her again soon.

"Class 2-E. Bae Ro Na. I'm looking forward to seeing you again." Seok Hoon stated, smiling as he looked at Ro Na's profile once more.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

"Wow, Bae Ro Na. I can't believe you would act this way over a Choco Pie. You really are crazy!" Seol A exclaimed before laughing at Ro Na whose head was already bowed down on the table due to embarrassment.

"Stop teasing me, okay? I just got really worked up, that's why." She complained as she lifted her head. "If you were in my situation, you'd feel the same way. He really was just getting on my nerves it was too much for me." Ro Na then aggressively chugged on her frappe. Fortunately, there wasn't that much customers in the cafe so they were able to talk about the convenience store incident loudly.

"I'd probably feel the same way. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't act the same way you did. Like, that's out of this world. How could you even think of that during that situation? Isn't it more reasonable if you slapped him? But kiss? Really?" Seol A shook her head in awe. "How about you, Min Hyuk? What can you say?" Min Hyuk, who has been listening to them all the time, decided to start contributing his thoughts to the conversation.

"Well, that was really Ro Na of you, Ro Na. You always act before you properly think about it." Min Hyuk said. Unfortunately, his words just added fuel to the embarrassment Ro Na was feeling. Now that she talked about it with her bestfriends, she just realized how crazy and stupid her actions were.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay? Let's just move on from that topic." Ro Na said, trying to dismiss the conversation. "Okay, okay. But one last question. Aren't you worried that you two might meet again?" Seol A asked.

Ro Na stopped to think for a second. She felt that the guy was really familiar - like she already saw him before. Knowing that, she felt this anxiety that she might just meet him again soon - something she really does not want to happen.

"I honestly don't know. I just hope that would never happen." Ro Na muttered before sipping quietly on her drink.

Days passed and fortunately, Ro Na forgot about the convenience store incident already. She just spent the remaining days of her vacation hanging out with her friends and preparing for the coming semester. Surprisingly, Ro Na was excited for school. It was warranted anyway since her vacation wasn't really that eventful.

Monday came and Ro Na was all ready for school. Her mom has just finished preparing as well for her work. "You didn't leave anything?" Yoon Hee asked as they walked away from home. Ro Na just shook her head and renewed her grip on her bag straps.

On the way to school, Ro Na was feeling something weird. She felt worried about something she could not pinpoint. It was as if something unfortunate was about to happen.

"Ro Na, what is wrong with you, really?" She muttered to herself. Something was bothering her for sure, but she didn't know what it was. She just decided to shake the feeling off and focus on the first day of school.

As she walked towards her building, someone suddenly wrapped an arm around her arm and started walking with her, which made her jump in surprise.

"Good morning, Ro Na." Seol A greeted. 

"Gosh, you scared me Seol A. I thought it was someone else." Seol A let out a chuckle at Ro Na's reaction.

"Why? Are you expecting someone?" Seol A playfully asked. Ro Na just rolled her eyes and looked forward. Something was just bothering her, that's why she was surprised. However, she did not want it to cloud her mind for the whole day. Whatever it was she was being anxious of, she knew it would do her no good.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"Hey, Seok Kyung. Can you move faster? We're getting late." Seok Hoon complained from outside of his twin's room. In just a few seconds, Seok Kyung opened her door and faced him with an annoyed expression.

"God, Seok Hoon. It's only 7:45. We still have 15 minutes. And besides, you never really cared about being late. Like what's wrong with you?" Seok Kyung snapped as she picked up her bag from the sofa. She hated it when Seok Hoon rushes her for no valid reason. She then decided to walk past along Seok Hoon, giving him a side eye, and headed towards the living room to which Seok Hoon followed suit.

Seok Hoon knew he was feeling excited. Knowing that he was in the same school as Bae Ro Na made him look forward to this day. 'Really, Seok Hoon? Over a girl?' He thought before letting out a chuckle.

Seok Kyung witnessed her twin chuckle alone and that weirded her out. She walked towards Seok Hoon and reached out to his forehead. "Are you sick? Why are you laughing alone? It's this early in the morning and you're acting so weird, please stop." She said which made Seok Hoon stop chuckling. Although he felt annoyed by Seok Kyung's attitude, he did not want his twin's temper to ruin his day. He had something to look forward to anyway - that is meeting Bae Ro Na again.

Fortunately, Seok Kyung stopped bothering him as they walked their way to the car and started driving off to school.

On the way, Seok Hoon could not stop thinking about Ro Na. He was imagining scenarios in his head - like what he would do and say if he meets Ro Na in school. He wanted to see her again and maybe remind her about the incident, but other than that, there was nothing significant between them at all. As he thought longer, he realized it would seem like he's just trying to get Ro Na's attention, which was not entirely false. He knew he had to think of something to be able to approach Ro Na properly.

"Seok Hoon, aren't you going? Why are you so spaced out?" Seok Kyung asked, cutting off Seok Hoon's thoughts. He realized they had arrived. He was too lost in his train of thoughts that he did not realize they were already by the school's gate.

Seok Hoon then started tagging along Seok Kyung. He noticed that a lot of boys were looking at Seok Kyung. It was no doubt since Seok Kyung was pretty and charismatic. But because Seok Hoon is known to be protective of his twin, none of the boys made a move on her.

On the contrary, Seok Kyung never really cared about the girls who like Seok Hoon. She did not engage herself in defending her twin when girls flock around Seok Hoon and try to give him letters and gifts. Not that Seok Hoon gives a damn about it though. He can handle himself anyway.

As they walked towards their building, Seok Hoon noticed a familiar girl a few meters away from him walking in the same direction. Seok Hoon tried to catch up with her to see if his hunch was right - that it was Ro Na.

True enough, it was really Ro Na. Seeing her again made him feel different things. He felt happy, nervous, and clueless all at the same time. He felt happy knowing that first thing in the morning, he gets to confirm his knowledge that Ro Na is indeed a schoolmate. But he's unsure as to how he would approach her. He's not even sure if Ro Na remembers him. To him, the kiss really left an impact, but to Ro Na, it might've been a simple and meaningless kiss.

These thoughts stopped Seok Hoon from approaching Ro Na. He figured it is not the right time yet since he had to think about what to do first. He realized seeing Ro Na was enough for today.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

"Since it's the first day, I'm dismissing the class early. You can go and have your lunch now. I'll see you all later at 1 pm." Mr. Gu announced in front of the class before leaving.

The whole class cheered while Ro Na proceeded with fixing and storing her things inside her bag. Seol A and Min Hyuk, seated two seats to Ro Na's left, were already discussing about where to eat.

"Hey, Ro Na, where do you want to go for lunch? I heard the cafeteria's serving tonkatsu today." Seol A said, approaching Ro Na. "Well, I'm okay anywhere. Where do you guys wanna eat?" She questioned back.

"Let's just go to the cafeteria then. We should hurry up or else we might not get any table." Min Hyuk answered. The three then exited the room and walked towards the cafeteria, situated in the building next to the building they are in.

When they got there, the cafeteria was busy with people already. Good thing though that a table near them was still vacant so they rushed towards it and started placing their bags.

"Ro Na, how about you stay here and guard our things? I'll go and order your food for you." Min Hyuk suggested. Ro Na agreed and started putting out her money. She wasn't really in the mood for lunch so she just told Min Hyuk to order the same food he will be getting.

It was already lunch time yet the anxiety Ro Na was feeling hours ago was still present. Unfortunately, it was bothering her and it kept her from being comfortable. It made her feel like something is always about to happen, and she couldn't even pinpoint why she feels this way.

Desperate to divert her attention, Ro Na started to log in on her social media. She scrolled through memes and posts from her friends. Fortunately, that worked. She found herself smiling, sometimes chuckling, at whatever funny post she sees.

However, as she was navigating herself around Twitter, she heard a familiar voice speak just a few feet away from her.

"I don't want it, Seok Kyung. Just go leave it in your plate if you don't like it. Stop giving it to me." The voice said.

'I know that voice.' Ro Na thought to herself. She was trying her best to remember where she heard that voice from. She scanned the crowd and looked for someone familiar that might be the one speaking.

When she looked to her right, she saw a guy, seated at the table next to her, eating with a girl who looked somehow similar to him. Ro Na scanned the guy's face properly but he was facing sideways so she could not really see clearly.

"Why? I thought you like this candy bar. I got an extra one for you and you're not taking it. How annoying." The girl said before placing the candy bar on the table. Ro Na saw the guy's lowkey smile before he further spoke. "I don't like that anymore. Choco Pies are better."

And with that statement, Ro Na immediately remembered who the guy was. 'Shit! It's that guy from the convenience store.'

Ro Na immediately turned to her left and tried her best to cover her face. She was unsure if the guy remembers her, but she knew that showing him her face would do her no good. Just in time, Seol A and Min Hyuk arrived with the food. 

"Ro Na, what's your problem? Why are you hiding your face like that?" Seol A asked, confused as to why her best friend is acting weirdly. "Shh. Shut up. I'll tell you guys later. Let's just find another table. Please." She desperately begged. However, her two friends just looked at her with confusion in their eyes.

"There's literally no other vacant table, Ro Na. Can't we eat peacefully? Why are you acting so weird?" Min Hyuk asked as he started to munch on his plate. Seol A nodded at Min Hyuk's statement and started to eat as well.

Ro Na, on the other hand, was getting more nervous by the minute. She realized maybe this was the reason why she was bothered the whole day. She never thought she would meet the guy again. The thought of him being a schoolmate didn't even cross her mind. Although it made sense since they met each other at the convenience store by the school.

"Can we guys eat faster? I just have to go real quick." Ro Na said. Seol A then placed her chopsticks down and faced Ro Na. "Seriously, Ro Na, what is the matter? I only took like 5 spoonfuls of food. I can't even enjoy it because you're acting like this."

"I'm sorry guys, I can't tell you now but please, let's just finish eating quick okay?" The two were left with no choice but to start eating faster. "You better have a valid explanation for this. I can't believe I'm not enjoying this tonkatsu right now." Seol A muttered.

In just a few minutes, the three were done. Ro Na then picked up her bag and hurried outside the cafeteria, making sure her face would not be seen by the guy on the other table.

When she got outside, she waited for her bestfriends who were looking at her with dagger eyes. Ro Na then gave them a nervous smile and pulled their arms with her. They started walking towards the other side of the campus. The two figured Ro Na was bringing them to their favorite place in the campus, the mini park.

Lunch time was almost done and there weren't a lot of students on the mini park so Ro Na felt relieved. She wanted to be able to tell them what happened comfortably and without anyone else knowing.

Seol A took the first seat in the swing and Min Hyuk sat beside her. Ro Na was then left standing in front of them as they waited for her to speak up. "I'm sorry guys. I just had to get away from the cafeteria. I was panicking a bit back there."

"Why? Tell us what happened. We literally just ordered food and when we got back, you were acting crazy and all!" Seol A exclaimed. Ro Na heaved a sigh as she tried to collect herself. She could still feel her heart beat fast. She calmed herself a bit before finally explaining everything.

"Do you remember the convenience store incident I told you weeks ago? The guy I kissed in the cheek? He's our schoolmate. And he was literally in the table next to ours back in the cafeteria." Seol A's eyes widened in shock. Min Hyuk, on the other hand, had a smile slowly forming in his face. A few seconds after and he was already laughing.

"Why? What's funny?" Ro Na asked getting annoyed. "Nothing. I just feel like this semester is going to be amazing for you. Karma's chasing you." Min Hyuk teased, gaining him a pinch from Ro Na. "Guys, seriously. Don't tease me. I don't know what to do. I don't want to spend the whole school year thinking about avoiding him at all times."

"Well, there's nothing we can do. It's not like you can just transfer schools or something." Min Hyuk lazily said. Ro Na ruffled her hair in frustration. She never anticipated this to happen and now, she has no idea what to do.

"Wait, Ro Na. Do you know his name? Or is he someone from our year?" Seol A asked curiously. "Well, I don't exactly know his name. But he was talking to a girl back in the cafeteria. I remember him calling the girl Seok Kyung."

"Seok Kyung?" Min Hyuk asked. That name rang a bell. Seok Kyung was famous in the school after all.

Seol A was busy trying to connect the dots, and after a few seconds of thinking, her face lit up and her eyes widened in surprise again - as if an idea just crossed her mind.

"Wait, Ro Na. Joo Seok Kyung? You said the guy in the convenience store was tall right?" Seol A asked to confirm her knowledge. Ro Na nodded at her and spoke. "Yeah, they also look so alike, they're almost twins."

"Oh my gosh, twins? Joo Seok Hoon?" Seol A exclaimed. Ro Na looked at her with confusion in her eyes. "It was Joo Seok Hoon?" Seol A repeated which surprised Min Hyuk. Apparently, among them, only Ro Na was the one who's not aware of who Joo Seok Hoon is.

But before Ro Na could even utter a word, she felt someone walk behind her. "Why are you talking about Seok Hoon?" Ro Na turned around to see Seok Kyung, the girl who was seated on the table next to theirs back in the cafeteria. But what shocked Ro Na more was the fact that someone tall was standing behind Seok Kyung.

"Bae Ro Na." He stated. Those three syllables alone were enough to send shivers down Ro Na's spine. It felt surreal. Seok Hoon, the guy he kissed back in the convenience store, was standing in front of her. He even knew her name.

"It's nice to see you again. I'm Joo Seok Hoon." He introduced as he laid out his hand for a handshake.

Ro Na felt like disappearing. Her shame was eating her up and she could not even make a sound. Seok Hoon then reached out for her hand and gave her a shake. "Seok Kyung, we should get going. See you around, Ro Na." He said before giving away that familiar smirk.

The twins then walked away and left the three on the mini park. Ro Na breathed heavily, as if she wasn't breathing the whole time Seok Hoon was there.

Ro Na then turned to her friends with desperate eyes. "I'm so done. I'm so fucking done." She cried as she held her face in disbelief.


	3. Unforeseen Entanglements

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"Who was that girl?" Seok Kyung asked as soon as she got inside the car. Seok Hoon knew this was going to happen - that Seok Kyung would bother the hell out of him just to gain information about Ro Na. Who wouldn't be curious? It was the first time Seok Hoon was 'linked' to a girl. All his life, he would ignore the girls who wanted to get close to him.

"Let's not talk about this, Seok Kyung." He stated before plugging in his earphones. However, Seok Kyung, being the nosy lass she is, removed one of Seok Hoon's earphones and looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"Why are you so dismissive about it? I just wanna know. Or else I'll tell Mom about it." She threatened. Seok Hoon then heaved a sigh out of frustration. He knew there was no way out of this situation. He hated it when his mom would know some things about his private life. He also hated it when Seok Kyung would drive him crazy by annoying him to the fullest. Besides, he was stuck in the car with her and the ride home has just started. Surely, he did not want to spend the next 15 minuted arguing with his twin.

"I'll tell you when we get home, okay? Let me rest." He said. Seok Kyung fortunately was convinced by it so she stopped talking to Seok Hoon and focused elsewhere.

Seok Hoon, on the other hand, went on with listening to music while thinking about what happened earlier. Although he did not plan for it to happen, he and Ro Na met for the second time. He was thankful that Seok Kyung insisted of going to the mini park, which was Seok Kyung's favorite place in the campus. If not because of his twin, he would not see Ro Na and meet her again.

However, Seok Hoon was unsure as to why Ro Na and her friends were talking about him. From the looks of it, it was like Ro Na's friend was talking about something surprising, given her sudden shout. That somehow gave Seok Hoon a clue that Ro Na still remembers what happened between them in the convenience store.

When they got home, Seok Hoon immediately changed to comfortable clothes and plopped on his bed. A few minutes after laying down and his bedroom door swung open, revealing a smiling Seok Kyung.

"You owe me an explanation." She stated before sitting down on Seok Hoon's couch.

"Leave my room. I'm not talking to you about this." Seok Hoon said, pulling his twin up from the couch. However, Seok Kyung was resisting his force and tried her best to stay seated.

"Come on, Seok Hoon. Stop being so stubborn about it. It makes me believe that something's going on between you two, as if you have feelings for that girl." Seok Kyung said, causing her twin to freeze and be silent.

'Feelings?' He thought. It felt too fast. They literally just met once, or maybe twice. He believed it couldn't be because of that. But Seok Hoon could not deny that Ro Na was able to catch his attention.

"Oh my gosh, why the hell are you blushing?" Seok Kyung exclaimed, pointing at Seok Hoon's red cheeks. Seok Hoon's eyes widened in shock as he felt all his blood rush to his face.

"Shut up. I'm not blushing." He defended. He then turned around and hid his face, trying his best to calm down.

"Gosh, so you're having this little crush or something. Tell me about it, Seok Hoon. I won't tell anyone, not even Mom. I'm just really curious." Seok Kyung said as she rested on the couch and placed her chin on her palm. Seok Hoon then turned to look at her and thought for a minute.

Maybe he could confide to Seok Kyung. She was his twin anyway. And it was his first time actually paying attention to a girl so he realized, maybe he could ask for advice from Seok Kyung.

"Just don't tell anyone or I'll kill you, for real." Seok Hoon threatened to which Seok Kyung chuckled. He then sat on the couch adjacent to Seok Kyung and started talking about Ro Na.

"Well, firstly, her name is Bae Ro Na. She's in Class E and I met her last summer." He stated. "Bae Ro Na? That name rings a bell." Seok Kyung thought out loud.

"Do you remember when we went to school to pick up some documents for this semester? You and Mom went inside and I decided to wait in the convenience store by the school for you and Mom to finish. I also went there to buy your food since you did not eat breakfast that time. I met her there."

"Is that it? What's so special about her that you're so interested in her? She's not even that beautiful, compared to me." Seok Kyung said, earning a glare from Seok Hoon. "That's not just it okay? Well, to make things short, we got into a situation. We were fighting over this last piece of Choco Pie."

"Seriously, Seok Hoon? Choco Pie? I didn't know you were this childish." Seok Kyung said, stifling a laugh.

"Obviously it is not about the damn Choco Pie, Seok Kyung. I just found her cute. She got so angry over the snack that her eyebrows were meeting in the middle and her lips were slightly pouting. I don't know but something about her just made me want to tease her or annoy her. So I did that, because her reaction for me was priceless." Seok Hoon then stopped talking to read his twin's reaction. However, Seok Kyung's face did not change. She was just looking at Seok Hoon intently, as if she's waiting for him to continue.

"And then suddenly, she kissed me on the cheek." That statement alone, then, caused Seok Kyung's eyes to widen in surprise. That moment, Seok Hoon felt scared that his twin might overreact and get mad at the fact that someone kissed him. But suddenly, Seok Kyung bursted into laughter.

"Oh my gosh, Seok Hoon. You should be a writer, you know. You make good stories." Seok Kyung said, not believing any of Seok Hoon's words. "Who in their right mind would kiss a stranger over a Choco Pie? It's not really believable, Seok Hoon."

"It's all true though. She really kissed me, and I think it's because she wanted to distract me so she can get the Choco Pie. Besides, why would I lie and say something like this? You know how much I hate feelings and relationships and stuff. But after that day, I just could not get rid of her in my thoughts. I don't know but something about her makes me feel attracted to her."

Seok Kyung then stopped laughing when she realized how serious Seok Hoon sounded. "Is this for real? Did that really happen? Because that is really crazy. First of all, I want to applaud her since she did a great job distracting you. Look at you, it's been weeks and you're still so bothered by it."

"I know. And I don't know what to do about these thoughts. It's like I want to get close to her, but I don't even have a valid reason to do so." Seok Hoon said, somehow sounding sad about it. 

"Do you like her?" Seok Kyung straightforwardly asked. Seok Hoon then choked into his own saliva and glared at his twin. "Isn't it too fast for that?" He questioned back.

"That's true. But listening to you now, it seems like you do like her, to some extent. What do you plan on doing now?"

"I don't know, to be honest. I don't even know if I really like her, like how can I tell that, right?" Seok Hoon stated before heaving a sigh. It was his first time feeling this way, and he could not even understand what it was that he was feeling. Because of that, it's more difficult to think of how to act when Ro Na's around. Maybe he still needs time to figure everything out. Maybe he just needed closure for what happened. Maybe he really likes her. But whatever it was, he wasn't fully ready to act on it.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

"I think I'm going crazy, Seol A. Why did it have to be Seok Hoon out of all people?" Ro Na cried. School just finished and she's ranting to Seol A again in their favorite cafe. Seol A then sipped from her coffee before answering Ro Na. "I don't really get why you don't have any idea who Seok Hoon is. He and Seok Kyung are literally the most famous pair in school since they're number one, rich, number two, good-looking, and number three, smart. How could you not recognize him that day? Maybe all these would've been avoided."

"Maybe I'm just too focused on my academics and singing that I don't really care about them. But knowing all these now, I feel like I'm going to have a miserable year."

"I don't want to make you feel worse, Ro Na, but if Seok Hoon's "fans" find out what happened between you two, you might as well hide in a cave forever. They can get really wild over that." Seol A stated. The disbelief and anxiety Ro Na was feeling doubled after hearing what Seol A said. She only wanted to live and graduate peacefully, but this involvement with Seok Hoon might make that goal impossible. Just because of that stupid Choco Pie.

"Do you have any plan in mind, in case Seok Hoon approaches you and everyone else finds out about you kissing him?"

"Can you stop saying that out loud? Someone from school might hear you." Ro Na said to which Seol A apologized. "Okay, I'm sorry. But really, what are your plans? It's not like you can run from this forever."

"I don't know okay? Maybe I'll just act like I don't remember it. Maybe Seok Hoon would not bother going after me if I tell him I don't remember." Ro Na had hoped that Seok Hoon would not talk to her about it. For now, she wanted to focus on avoiding Seok Hoon at all costs. That way, she can delay, if not avoid, the unfortunate repercussions she already has in mind.

The next day came and Ro Na was on her way to class. She would regularly scan her surroundings to check if Seok Hoon was anywhere near. It was early in the morning yet Ro Na was already feeling so anxious. She figured she might not have a good day today.

"Bae Ro Na!" She heard Min Hyuk shout. "Shh! Stop shouting my name, okay?" She said as soon as Min Hyuk was beside her. "Why? What's so wrong with it?" He asked, genuinely confused. Ro Na, however, was busy re-scanning her surroundings, afraid that Seok Hoon was around and might've heard her name being called, that she just ignored Min Hyuk's question.

When they got to their room, Ro Na somehow calmed down. It was less likely for her to meet Seok Hoon since his room is on the other end of the building's hallway and classes were about to start in just a few minutes.

But as if fate was playing with her, she saw Seok Hoon and Seok Kyung pass by their classroom. She immediately turned to her left and hid her face from Seok Hoon's vision. A few seconds after and she checked to see if Seok Hoon was still there. Fortunately, he wasn't.

'God, I don't want to go through this for this whole year.' Ro Na thought, praying hard that whatever she was thinking of would never occur. Thankfully, Mr. Gu already arrived to start their discussion and Ro Na was able to momentarily set aside her worries over Seok Hoon.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"Alright, before we end the class I would need you guys to nominate a class monitor for the entire school year. Since we will be having short quizzes every Friday, I need a class monitor who would collect the testbooks and send it to my office. Also, that class monitor will represent the class for the coming election for the student body officers." Ms. Seo Jin, Class A's adviser, announced. It wasn't new to Seok Hoon since they've been doing this since last year. In fact, their class monitor for the previous year was Seok Kyung.

Some of Seok Hoon's classmates started nominating. He wasn't really that interested so he just waited for the class to formally end. Besides, after this class is lunch break and he was already getting hungry.

"Ms. Seo Jin, I would like to nominate Joo Seok Hoon." Seok Kyung suddenly stated which made Seok Hoon turn to her direction with a glare. "Are you crazy? I don't want to be the class monitor." Seok Hoon angrily whispered at his twin. Seok Kyung, however, just returned him a chuckle. "You will thank me for this after." She said.

Seok Hoon then wondered what Seok Kyung meant. He hated responsibilities and now, his twin nominated him for one. He surely wasn't going to be thankful for it.

The nomination then ended and the class proceeded to voting. Unfortunately for Seok Hoon, almost half of the class voted for him. He wasn't even that friendly and approachable so it's a question as to why his classmates elected him as class monitor.

"Great! So we have Joo Seok Hoon as our class monitor. After Friday's afternoon class, I'm gonna need you, Seok Hoon, to visit my office since I have some things discuss regarding the class monitor duties and for the student body election. That's it for today. Have a happy lunch!" Ms. Seo Jin then dismissed the class and left the room. Seok Kyung, who was smiling playfully, approached Seok Hoon who was obviously in a bad mood.

"Let's have lunch? Where do you want to eat?" Seok Hoon then just gave Seok Kyung a dead stare before standing up to leave the room. Seok Kyung then caught up to him and walked beside him.

"It's okay, Seok Hoon. I was the class monitor last year so I'm sure you're going to handle this just fine."

"Stop talking to me. I'm not in the mood for your games." Seok Hoon coldly said. He just could not understand why Seok Kyung would do that without his permission. It's not like Seok Kyung did not know him. Now, he's going to do something he absolutely hates for the rest of the year.

"Don't be a sulky boy. I told you, you will thank me for it. You wanna know why?" Seok Kyung asked. However, Seok Hoon decided to ignore her and focused on walking towards the cafeteria.

When they got there, fortunately, there were still many tables. The twins decided to get their food already and eat at the table nearby.

"Hey, Seok Hoon, are you really not curious? I'm pretty sure you're gonna like the reason why I nominated you earlier." Seok Kyung stated before munching on her chicken. "You know I hate responsibilities like that. You are more than enough responsibility and now you gave me another one." Seok Hoon said without sparing his twin a glance.

"Shut up, no one's telling you to look after me. It's just your protective ass. Anyway, since you'll be going to Ms. Seo Jin's office on Friday, I'm going to give you a heads up. You'll be talking about class monitor rules and stuff there and you will also be meeting the class monitors of the other years for the election." Seok Kyung explained. Seok Hoon, however, remained uninterested. Seok Kyung knew that there was one thing that would eventually catch Seok Hoon's attention.

"Can you guess who's the class monitor for Class 2-E?" Seok Kyung meaningfully asked. Seok Hoon then stopped eating to think for a moment. "Well, I don't really know a lot of people in Class E. Only Bae..." He trailed off.

Seok Hoon then lifted his head to look at his twin who was already smiling crazily. "You don't have to thank me, Seok Hoon." She said and smiled sheepishly.

Seok Hoon then choked on the food upon realization that he and Ro Na will meet again on Friday. Fortunately, Seok Kyung had her tumbler on the table so her twin could drink some water and stop choking.

"Why would you do that, Seok Kyung? I'm not even ready to meet her again." He hissed. "Well, you have to be. You only have 3 days left before Friday. Besides, it's not like you're going to confess to her there. You're going there as a class monitor, duh."

"I don't care. I don't even know how to approach her. I feel like I'll look like a fool in front of her." Seok Hoon whispered, which was actually audible to Seok Kyung.

"My gosh, Seok Hoon. I can't believe you're this anxious because of her. Speaks a lot about your feelings, huh?" Seok Kyung said before finishing her meal. 

Seok Hoon was then again left to ponder on his thoughts and feelings. Seok Kyung was right. Why was he acting this way because of Ro Na? Maybe he did catch some feelings for her. But he wasn't prepared for it - he did not know what to do with it. And now, he can't even eat properly since Ro Na has occupied his mind again. 'What's so special about you that I can't even function properly whenever I hear your name?' He thought to himself.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

Friday came and Ro Na was on her way to Seo Jin's office for the election. Fortunately, the previous days were silent - Seok Hoon and Ro Na never crossed paths. She had hoped this week would end that way, better if the whole school year would end like it. However, Ro Na was still unsure of the future. The school felt too small for her and Seok Hoon, as if any minute from now, they would meet again.

"Hi, Ro Na. You came early. I assume your classes ended early." Ms. Seo Jin greeted as soon as Ro Na entered the room. "Yes, Ms. Seo Jin. We weren't really busy today so we were dismissed earlier."

Ro Na took the seat closest to Ms. Seo Jin on the rectangular table. They remained seated for a few minutes since they were still waiting for the other classes' class monitors. One by one, the class monitors arrived. They all took a seat along the table, leaving behind the seat in front of Ro Na vacant.

"So, almost everyone is here. We're just waiting for Seok Hoon to arrive." Ms. Seo Jin stated, which made Ro Na's eyes widen in surprise. "Seok Hoon?" Ro Na asked, eager to confirm if what she heard was right. 

Just in time, the office's door swung open and revealed Seok Hoon. Ro Na then turned to the door and accidentally met eyes with him.

'Shit. It's really him.' She thought. Seok Hoon then looked at Ms. Seo Jin and bowed slightly as a greeting before taking the seat across Ro Na.

"Okay, now that we're complete, we can start today's meeting." Ms. Seo Jin proceeded on discussing about class monitor stuff but Ro Na's mind was elsewhere. She was looking intently at Ms. Seo Jin, seeming to be listening attentively when in fact, she was thinking about something else.

'Joo Seok Hoon is sitting in front of me? What do I do?'

Ro Na was internally panicking but fortunately, it wasn't that obvious. The meeting was just going smoothly but she could not absorb anything about it. Her mind was busy breaking down over the fact that Seok Hoon is in front of her.

"Ro Na?" Ms. Seo Jin called. Ro Na then blinked her eyes a few times and smiled nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry Ms. Seo Jin, I was momentarily preoccupied. What was it you were saying?" She asked, trying hard to prevent her voice from shaking.

"Well, the other class monitors are voting you to be this year's vice president of the student body organization. Do you have any objections?"

"Oh, no, Ms. Seo Jin. I would love to take on this new responsibility." She said with a bright smile. "That's great then. So we have our new set of student officers for this year. Congratulations everyone and I am looking forward to working with you." Ms. Seo Jin said.

However, Ro Na was confused about what's happening. She was waiting for the nomination for the president but Ms. Seo Jin was already about to dismiss the meeting.

"Ms. Seo Jin, I wou---"

"Oh, right. Seok Hoon and Ro Na, since you two are this year's president and vice president, I'm giving you two these keys for the student body office. You're gonna need it for meetings and stuff so keep it safe okay?" Ms. Seo Jin then handed a key to each of them. She adjourned the meeting after and walked towards her cubicle, leaving the two by the table.

Bae Ro Na's eyes were fixed on the key on her hand, but her mind was busy looking for ways on how to escape her current situation. Seok Hoon was sitting in front of her, and they were the only ones left since the other class monitors already went outside.

Ro Na then kept the key on her pocket and started grabbing her things. She felt Seok Hoon do the same so she moved faster and exited the office as soon as she could.

However, as she took a few steps away from the office, she heard a deep voice resonate across the hallway, calling her name.

"Hey, Bae Ro Na."

'Shit.' She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes for a good minute before turning back to face Seok Hoon. "You left this." Seok Hoon said as soon as he was a meter or two away from Ro Na.

Ro Na then glanced at Seok Hoon's hand holding her yellow handkerchief. She then immediately took the fabric from him and turned around as quick as possible, not even muttering a simple 'thank you'. However, Seok Hoon's hand was unbelievably faster than her actions that he grabbed a hold of Ro Na's left arm to stop her from walking.

"What?" Ro Na asked, nervousness dominating over her whole system.

"Don't you know me?" Seok Hoon asked, his face devoid of emotion. "What do you mean? Of course I know you. You're famous here in school." She said, smiling a bit to hide her nervousness.

"You don't remember me?" He asked, his brows now furrowing. "We met last summer, on the convenience store. And you--" Seok Hoon trailed off. He did not have the guts to say it out loud - that Ro Na kissed him.

"I don't really know what you're talking about, Seok Hoon. I need to go now." Ro Na said, removing Seok Hoon's hand from her arm before walking away from him. Fortunately, Seok Hoon did not think of following her anymore.

"I can't believe he talked to me about that. Gosh, why is this happening to me?" Ro Na muttered to herself. Mentally, she was cursing herself for not acting right in front of Seok Hoon. She wasn't even able to firmly deny the incident. 'What if Seok Hoon read through her actions?' That thought haunted her mind for a minute. But what she focused on the most during that moment was to walk away from Seok Hoon as far as she could.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

"She doesn't remember." Seok Hoon said before taking a bite from the apple he was holding. Seok Kyung, on the other hand, was again seated on his bedroom's couch, waiting for some updates about his encounter with Ro Na. "What do you mean? You asked her about it?" 

"I did. But she said she doesn't know what I'm talking about."

"That's kinda suspicious though. Obviously, when we saw her in the mini park, she and her friends were talking about you. I really think that it's about that incident in the convenience store."

"Well, unfortunately, I did not have the chance to ask her about it. She left so fast I could not even say good bye or anything." Seok Hoon's voice had a hint of disappointment. He did expect Ro Na to remember him because one, the incident happened just recently and two, it wasn't just a normal thing to happen on a normal day. Maybe it was only Seok Hoon who found the incident interesting, if not special.

"Maybe she's just denying it, because she feels embarrassed. She realized it was you, the great Joo Seok Hoon, and when you confronted her about it, she just felt ashamed to even be in front of you. I believe she knows about it. She's just lying to save face." Seok Kyung nonchalantly stated. Seok Hoon thought about it longer. She wasn't even shy when she kissed him so what was the point of denying it now? 

"What are you gonna do now? Are you still planning on approaching her?" Seok Kyung asked. 

"I want to." Seok Hoon honestly answered. He already admitted it to himself - Ro Na was one of a kind and he wanted to be closer to her. "The world just got smaller for the two of us. We'll meet each other more often and I think I can use that as an opportunity to find out if she cannot remember me for real."

"How would you do that though? I'm pretty sure Ro Na would just do her best to ignore you." 

Seok Hoon remained silent. Ro Na wasn't the same as when he met her before. She wasn't timid at all. She was loud and had the guts to argue with Seok Hoon. But now, she couldn't even look at Seok Hoon for a good three seconds.

"I'll find that out soon, Seok Kyung. For now, I'm thankful that I have the chance to meet her again and to talk to her more often."

"And that's because of me. Looking back, you didn't even say 'thank you' to me yet. What kind of brother are you?" Seok Kyung joked.

"You can dream, Seok Kyung. I'm still mad at you for nominating me. Now, I'm the school's damn president." Seok Hoon said, standing up to leave his sister alone.

"You deserve it anyway, Seok Hoon." She yeased. Seok Hoon then glared at her before throwing her a shoe. Thankfully, Seok Kyung was fast to avoid the flying object. She hurriedly ran towards the door and exited her twin's room.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

"I can't believe this is happening to me. Why did it have to be me and Seok Hoon? I should've rejected the vice presidency. Gosh, I hate myself!" Ro Na exclaimed. It was a Saturday and she was on video call with Seol A and Min Hyuk.

"Hey, Bae Ro Na, can you stop shouting? I'm wearing my headphones right now." Min Hyuk complained. Ro Na, however, was too occupied with the fact that she and Seok Hoon will surely meet more often that she couldn't process her friend's complaint anymore.

"I don't know what to do now. I don't even want to go to school on Monday." Ro Na cried. "Well, I don't think you have a choice, Ro Na. Besides, you need that position in the student body so you can boost your credentials for the arts academy in the future." Seol A stated. 

Ro Na then heaved a sigh out of frustration. She badly wanted to get into Seoul's Arts Academy to pursue her love for classical singing. That would however be impossible if her resume is as empty as her pocket.

"I just wish Seok Hoon would stop bothering me about it." Ro Na said.

A few more minutes passed and she dropped the call with her friends. After ranting to them, she felt a bit better. Ro Na walked to her window and checked to see the weather. It was a nice sunny day and it would be a waste if she would spend her time thinking about Seok Hoon. 

She then decided to spend her time practicing her singing. Ro Na plugged in her favorite classical songs and listened to it first before actually singing along.

However, in the middle of the song, her phone made a sound which signified that a new message had arrived. Ro Na stopped the music to check what it was. Apparently, she was added to a new group chat for the student body.

| Good afternoon everyone. I made this group chat so we can have our primary mode of communication since e-mails are a hassle. I hope you don't mind. Besides, I asked Ms. Seo Jin if this is okay and she approved of it. I'm Ha Eun Byeol by the way of Class 2-B. I am this year's internal affairs head. I hope we get along really well. | 

'Ha Eun Byeol? That name sounds familiar.' Ro Na thought. But she redirected her attention to the group chat as it began to pop sounds because of the incoming messages. Apparently, all members of the student body organization were already introducing themselves.

The realization suddenly dawned upon Ro Na. She was the vice president of the student body of the whole school. She was surprised that although there were many competent students in the higher years, they all trusted in her and elected her as the vice president. It was a dream come true, since she always dreamed of becoming a leader. She realized she wasn't even able to celebrate because her mind was clouded with thoughts of Seok Hoon. 'Jeez, that guy is really messing up with my mind.' She thought.

The group chat rang again and this time, it was Seok Hoon who sent a message. Strangely enough, there was something about Seok Hoon that screamed 'authority'. He only introduced himself but none of the students in the group chat, even those in the higher years, were brave enough to send any stickers or reactions to his message, unlike for the previous ones.

| Hi, I'm Joo Seok Hoon from Class 2-A. I want to thank you for electing me as this year's student body president and I hope to get along with all of you for our future projects and endeavors as an organization. | 

"Wow, for the most part, he's good with words. Simple yet striking." Ro Na thought out loud. However, she realized that she was then the only one left. She did not want to send a message right after Seok Hoon since he might get the 'wrong idea' but she had no choice. She did not want to leave a bad impression to the whole organization during her first day as the vice president so she mustered up all the courage she needed and sent her message.

| Good afternoon guys. I am Bae Ro Na from Class 2-E and I am the vice president of the student body organization for this year. I also would like to thank you for trusting me and voting me for this position and I promise to do my best to work well with you. Nice meeting you everyone. |

It was only a simple message but the nervousness Ro Na was feeling was over the top. She was afraid she would not be able to do her job as a vice president properly because of this pressure building up inside of her. Plus, the thought of Seok Hoon being near her was more than enough to send her to a nervous fit.

| Are you guys free tomorrow? I'm thinking of going out and having a dinner together so we can formally meet each other. | Ha Eun Byeol messaged. She surely was enthusiastis with her job as internals head but Ro Na wasn't fond with the idea of having dinner with Seok Hoon - well, not with Seok Hoon alone, but with Seok Hoon around.

| Is it okay for us to set unofficial meetings like that? | One of the higher year students asked.

| Yeah, Ms. Seo Jin said so. Well, unless our president disagrees. | 

So it was still Seok Hoon's decision. Ro Na was praying hard for Seok Hoon to disagree. Besides, it felt too early for them to meet. It would be more reasonable if their first meeting as an organization would be at school.

| I don't hate the idea but I think we should just meet at school on Monday. Some of us have family stuff for Sunday anyway. | Seok Hoon replied. With that, Ro Na was able to relax. To some extent, she was thankful to Seok Hoon for delaying their meeting. It was inevitable for her and Seok Hoon to see each other again but at least, she still had time to prepare for Monday.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

Monday morning came and the twins were already in school. Seok Kyung was busy talking to one of her friends and Seok Hoon was just scrolling through his social media. A few more minutes passed and he found himself on Bae Ro Na's Facebook profile. It has been days since they all talked in the group chat and he was added as a Facebook friend by the student body officers except Ro Na. He was still contemplating on the thought of being the first one to add her.

In the end, he ended up exiting Facebook and keeping his phone on his pocket. He wanted to get rid of his thoughts of Ro Na first so he could focus on the lectures for the whole day.

When lunch came, the twins did their usual routine of going to the cafeteria to eat. Seok Hoon was the one who fell in line to get his and Seok Kyung's food. However, something in the food shelf caught Seok Hoon's attention. They were selling Choco Pies.

He decided to get three of it - one for him and his twin, and the other was for Ro Na. Maybe with this, he would be able to get a reaction from Ro Na and confirm that she can still remember the incident back in the convenience store.

"What took you so long? I'm so hungry already." Seok Kyung complained. Seok Hoon remained silent and placed the trays in front of him and Seok Kyung. Seok Kyung immediately noticed the Choco Pie, two Choco Pies to be exact, in her twin's tray.

"Hey, why did you give me only one Choco Pie and you have two? You're so unfair."

"The other one is not mine." Seok Hoon simply stated. Seok Kyung's irritated expression was quick to change as she realized what Seok Hoon meant. "Oooh, okay. I get it." She stated, trying hard not to chuckle.

A fee minutes passed by and Seok Hoon already finished his meal while Seok Kyung was still in the middle of finishing hers. "I'll just go to the comfort room." Seok Hoon said before leaving Seok Kyung alone. As he walked towards the comfort room, he realized he was still holding the Choco Pie. That made him smile a bit as he remembered the kissing incident once more. 

When he finished, Seok Hoon opened the door and exited the boys' comfort room. However, on the way back to the cafeteria, he sees a familiar figure walking just a few feet in front in him. He confirmed it was Bae Ro Na as he spotted her white bag with the yellow handkerchief tied around one of its handles.

He then thought of giving Ro Na the Choco Pie in his pocket. Strangely enough, there weren't many students by the hallway that could witness him giving Ro Na the snack so he figured this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Bae Ro Na." He called. He saw how Ro Na froze in her spot for a few seconds before continuing to walk, as if she did not just hear Seok Hoon calling her name. "Hey, Bae Ro Na, wait up." He called again, now running to catch up to her.

Fortunately, he was able to hold her arm. Ro Na then faced him with 'surprise' drawn over her face. "Oh, it's you, Seok Hoon." She said, with a little smile on her face. Seok Hoon then returned her a smile as he reached to his pockets and handed Ro Na the Choco Pie.

He witnessed how Ro Na's eyes widen in shock, but a few seconds passed and she was able to compose herself again and flash him a small smile. "What's this for?" She calmly asked.

"I just thought of giving it to you." Seok Hoon simply said. "Why? I don't think you have a reason to do that." She replied, looking at the Choco Pie on her hand. Seok Hoon then kept mum for a few seconds, thinking of a reply that would gain him a reaction from Ro Na.

"Well, it's so you won't get into a tug of war over this with the other students in the cafeteria anymore." Seok Hoon said.

He saw how Ro Na's mouth slightly opened in surprise. Obviously, she wasn't expecting him to say that. Seok Hoon then gave Ro Na a smirk before leaving her in the middle of the hallway. With that interaction, Seok Hoon was 100% sure that Ro Na remembers him. He only needs to tease her about it until time comes and she acknowledges what happened between them back in the convenience store.


	4. Deep Talks and Building Feelings

[ Bae Ro Na ]

Ro Na woke up to the ringing of her phone and realized it was already six in the morning. She stood up to take a peek at her window and realized it was a rainy Thursday. Three days have passed since her last meeting with Seok Hoon and yet, Ro Na still could not get rid of her annoyance towards the guy. It was as if Ro Na could still hear Seok Hoon teasing her about the Choco Pie incident.

She then decided to shake her thoughts off by taking a warm bath. She wore a jacket above her uniform after bathing just to avoid her body from getting wet by the rain.

As soon as she went out of her room to eat breakfast, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and so, she took it out to see what it was about.

| Good morning, everyone. I apologize for messaging you this early but I just read Ms. Seo Jin's e-mail regarding this year's Foundation Day. As the student body organization, we have to plan the program for the whole celebration by cooperating with different clubs in our school and by preparing the main event as well. Given this, we're going to have a meeting at 5, after class so be sure to attend. We will be discussing the details in the meeting. That's all. Good morning and see you around campus. |

The thought of organizing this big event excited Ro Na. She always wanted to be in charge of events like this and this time, her dream was about to come true. But the fact that she had to do it with Seok Hoon bummed her in some way.

'Ugh, it's this early and the first thing I see is a message from Seok Hoon. What a great way to start the day.' Ro Na thought to herself. Apparently, her mom could see her scowl at her phone and so, Yoon Hee approached her to ask about it.

"What's the frown about? Not even a 'good morning' from you and you look like you're already in a bad mood." Yoon Hee said as soon as she was beside her daughter. Ro Na then took a breath and hugged her mom. "Good morning, Mom. I just received a message from school, about org duties. Nothing to worry about."

"Well, then, that should be fun. You always like being involved in stuff like this, right?"

"Well, that's true, but maybe it's just too early in the morning when I received the news. That's why I was frowning. But I'm okay now. Let's eat?" Yoon Hee then gave Ro Na a nod and the two proceeded to the dining table to have their breakfast.

When Ro Na arrived at school, everyone was already talking about the Foundation Day. It wasn't a surprise anyway since the event is a week from now. Ro Na realized how busy her week was about to be and that somehow scared her.

"Hey, Ms. Vice President." Min Hyuk said as soon as Ro Na took the seat between him and Seol A. "What are the student body's plans for the upcoming Foundation Day? I hope you will make it fun since we're all looking forward to it."

"We're going to have a meeting later to discuss that. I'll just update you guys about it." Ro Na said before heaving a sigh. "What's with the long face? Don't you like organizing events and stuff?" Seol A asked.

"I just know I'm going to be busier. I'm excited and at the same time, scared to do this. It's my first time, you see. Plus, he who can't be named is going to be around more often so I feel like I'll receive a lot of stress from this."

"Well, you're right. But we trust in you, Ro Na. You can do this. Just try your best and be professional with him, and it'll all be good." Seol A and Min Hyuk signalled a 'fighting' gesture to Ro Na, which made the other smile. It was comforting to have friends like Min Hyuk and Seol A for Ro Na. Her worries became less heavy and things seemed to be a lot easier because of them.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

It was only four in the afternoon but Seok Hoon was already in the student body office. Fortunately, the professor excused him early since he was expected to be busy with the preparations for the upcoming event.

Seok Hoon was busy writing some stuff in his notebook when someone entered the room. It was their secretary, Ha Eun Byeol.

"Hi, Seok Hoon. You're here, early." Eun Byeol said upon approaching Seok Hoon. "I was excused early, that's why." Seok Hoon answered without sparing her a glance. He was too busy laying out the things they needed to discuss in the meeting so Eun Byeol decided to just take the seat across him.

"What are you writing? Is it about the meeting? I can help you with that." Eun Byeol sweetly stated. Seok Hoon, however, just shook his head and continued with his business. Apparently, Seok Hoon didn't like sharing his work with others. It made him feel like he was a burden. Unconsciously, as the days of being the president passed by, the pressure he had for himself was slowly building up.

A few minutes passed and the room started to be filled with the officers. Seok Hoon was silently waiting for Ro Na to show up. It was already 5:05 but Ro Na was still not around. Some of the officers were already telling him to start the meeting.

Seok Hoon was then contemplating on messaging Ro Na. Maybe something happened that's why she was late. He then decided to take his phone out and started composing a message. However, even before he finished the message, the office door swung open and revealed a panting Ro Na, probably because she ran her way towards the office.

"I'm sorry for being late. My teacher dismissed us later than expected." She said before sitting beside Seok Hoon. Seok Hoon, on the other hand, felt a wave of relief after knowing that Ro Na was fine.

"Next time, try to excuse yourself earlier so we won't be wasting time waiting for you." Eun Byeol said with an obvious fake smile on her face. Seok Hoon noticed how Ro Na's expression changed, as if she was slightly humiliated by what Eun Byeol said. That somehow put Seok Hoon off so he decided to change the subject and diverted everyone's attention to the meeting.

"Let's start the meeting. Ha Eun Byeol, make sure to write the minutes properly. Ms. Seo Jin will be needing that after." He said with much authority in his voice. Eun Byeol gave him a simple nod before typing something in her laptop.

[ Bae Ro Na ]

The student body was in the middle of the meeting, gathering up ideas for the Foundation Day. Apparently, all minor events are to be discussed with the different clubs in the school and the student body was more involved in organizing the main event.

"Since it's the main event, this will be the last activity during the Foundation Day so please bear in mind that this event is highly likely to be held in the evening. As you may have known, the celebration for Foundation Day ends until 10 in the evening." Seok Hoon said as he scanned through the scribbles in his notebook.

Ro Na was thinking of something that would be fun and engaging for all students. It was the main event anyway so she was thinking of going for something big.

"How about we rent those amusement park rides and make it as the main event? In my previous school, we were able to rent those so we had ferris wheels and other rides in our school grounds. Isn't that fun?" Ha Eun Byeol suggested. Some of the officers seemed to like the idea, but most weren't really enthusiastic about it.

"Well, that does sound fun but unfortunately, the administration would not approve it. Other than it being costly, our school has banned renting amusement rides since many parents do not approve of it as well." Jenny, the student body's finance commitee head, stated. Ro Na saw how Eun Byeol's smile immediately turned into a frown. Well, what Jenny said wasn't unwarranted. Eun Byeol's idea was on a larger scale than what they can actually afford.

Ro Na, however, suddenly thought of an idea that might actually work for the main event. Other than it being significantly lower in cost, it was also a good avenue to involve students in the event.

"How about a mini-concert?" She said, drawing everyone's attention towards her. She realized Seok Hoon was staring intently at her, waiting for her to spill more details, but she tried hard not to be that affected. She did her best to focus on delivering her idea to the table.

"Well, I thought of inviting, and of course, paying local artists and musicians here in Seoul to be the main act but we can also have our students to perform for front acts. We can discuss with the different dance, music, and performing clubs in our school and have them prepare their own performance. I think it's also a good idea since it kind of wraps up everything from the whole event where we can gather and engage everyone into watching the concert." Ro Na said.

The whole room was then filled with murmurs, with everyone talking to each other and discussing their own opinions about Ro Na's idea.

"I think that might actually work." One of the higher year officers stated. "It's going to be fun since we can incorporate different genres and types of performances. Also, since we'll be having the main event in the evening, a mini-concert would be less tiring, so it's a good way to end the night after being exhausted from the whole Foundation Day celebration, right?" He added. Most of the officers were bowing their head in agreement. Ro Na then turned to look at Seok Hoon with hopeful eyes. Her idea of a mini-concert was exciting for her. Other than witnessing other people's talents, Ro Na believes she might get the opportunity of performing in front of the school through this event.

"Well, I agree with you. This is actually a good idea. But we still need to vote for it. Is there any one who objects to Bae Ro Na's idea?" Seok Hoon asked. Fortunately, no one objected. Ro Na's happiness just doubled, as she felt validated for being able to contribute to the student body.

"Okay, so we have decided that our main event for this year's Foundation Day celebration would be a mini-concert. We have also obtained a list of activities that will be held by the different school clubs. I think, that's it for today. We'll have another meeting tomorrow to discuss the specific details for the main event. See you all again tomorrow at 5. Meeting is adjourned." Seok Hoon said. The students then started fixing their own things before leaving the room.

Ro Na, after fixing her own stuff, exited the room hurriedly. She did not want to have any interaction with Seok Hoon today. She was already drained from the morning and afternoon classes and the meeting just added to her fatigue. She wanted to go home quick and call it a day.

But to her dismay, Ro Na realized that she left her jacket in the student body office. It was already 7 in the evening and the rain was still pouring, which signified the need for her to go back and return to her jacket.

"Ugh, how stupid of me." She uttered before walking back to the inside of the school building. However, after taking a few steps, she was stopped by Seok Hoon who was holding her jacket in his hand. "You left this." He said, handing over Ro Na's property.

"I was about to get it back. Thanks." Ro Na said. She then hurriedly wore her jacket before preparing to run in the rain. Unfortunately, her umbrella was broken and she hasn't bought a replacement yet. She had hoped her jacket would keep her dry and warm until the bus stop.

However, as soon as she took a step, a hand, which happened to be Seok Hoon's, grabbed her arm and stopped her from running. "Gosh, you do like grabbing someone else's arm, huh." Ro Na remarked, her voice with a hint of annoyance. She was exhausted enough and having to deal with Seok Hoon was the last thing she wanted at that moment.

"It's raining. Don't you have an umbrella?" Seok Hoon asked, to which Ro Na rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You'll get wet with that thin-ass jacket." Seok Hoon commented before taking something from his bag's side pocket. "Here, take this." He then laid out his hand holding his black umbrella.

"What for? I can manage." Ro Na insisted. 

"Take it. Or else I will think you're refusing and avoiding me because you're the girl from the convenience store who stole a kiss from me."

Hearing that from Seok Hoon made Ro Na freeze. Hearing it out loud from Seok Hoon was humiliating enough, but she was more afraid that some other students might've heard what he just said. 

Seok Hoon took Ro Na's silence as his cue to leave. He took one of Ro Na's arm and put his umbrella on her hand. He then faced the building's exit and started running towards their car which was fortunately, only a few meters away from his spot. Meanwhile, Ro Na was left there dumbfounded, with the umbrella in her hand.

"You can lend me this expensive-looking umbrella but you could not give up the damn Choco Pie? Such a jerk." Ro Na uttered to herself while looking at Seok Hoon's umbrella in her hand.

She failed to realize it but she was unconsciously smiling about the fact that Seok Hoon lent her an umbrella. She found it weird that Seok Hoon was acting nice towards her. Maybe Seok Hoon was indeed nice. He just loved being a jerk to Ro Na because of the Choco Pie incident.

The days passed by quick and it was already Tuesday. The Foundation Day is on Friday and the officers were all excused from their classes since they needed all the time they have to fully prepare for it. Ro Na, as the vice president, wasn't really involved in the discussions with the minor events with the different school clubs. It was Seok Hoon and the externals committee's job. Seok Hoon assigned her to focus more on leading the preparation for the mini-concert - it was her idea anyway.

"Ro Na, here is the list of the local artists we can invite for the mini-concert plus the details for their suggested performances and their talent fees. I just need you and Seok Hoon's approval for this so we can proceed with confirming their participation for the concert." So Mi, the externals committee head, stated. Ro Na then took the list from her and scanned the list. It was a decent one. Most of the artists were already popular in Seoul and some were unfamiliar to her, but in any case, it would be a good thing to provide them with the opportunity to showcase their skills. However, one problem she realized was the talent fee of some of the performers. Looking at it, some were indeed asking for big money.

Ro Na then approached Seok Hoon on the other table, who has just finished meeting with the different school club heads. "Hey, Seok Hoon. So Mi gave me this list for the mini-concert acts and she needs our approval first before she starts confirming their participation in the concert."

"Hmm. This list looks quite long. Remember that we still have the performances from the school clubs. Let's discuss this with the finance committee first and nitpick only those who are affordable and after that, I want you to pick the performances they will be performing as well. We have an hour for the performance of the students and the other half hour for the main acts so do figure out which performances should be including." Seok Hoon said. Ro Na in turn gave him a nod before taking her seat in the meeting table. Seok Hoon called for the finance committee and they started discussing about the budget plan for the talent fees of the performers.

Time flew quick and it was already 6 in the evening. It was a busy and tiring day for everyone, given that the event was only a few days away. Ro Na was already keeping her stuff in her bag, preparing to leave, when she noticed Seok Hoon's umbrella in the side pocket. 'I still have to return this to him.' She thought. It's been days but she did not have the chance to return it to Seok Hoon. He was so busy with the preparation for the Foundation Day that he and Ro Na didn't even have any other interaction that were not organization-related.

She looked around to see if there were still many people left in the student body office. She did not want to be seen returning the umbrella to Seok Hoon, thinking they might get the wrong idea. It was far-fetched, but she just wanted to be careful.

When the room was almost empty, Ro Na decided to approach Seok Hoon and handed him his umbrella. "Hey, Seok Hoon. I forgot to give this to you. Thank you by the way." She said before flashing him a small smile. Seok Hoon returned her a smile as well before taking the umbrella from his hand. Without saying a word, Seok Hoon kept the umbrella in his bag and resumed with keeping his things.

Ro Na, however, was slightly surprised with Seok Hoon's actions, or the lack thereof. Somehow, Ro Na had expected that Seok Hoon would tease her for it or at least, acknowledge her, but the guy remained quiet.

Not knowing what to do, Ro Na stayed there for a minute or two, watching Seok Hoon keep his stuff. "Do you have anything else to say to me?" Seok Hoon asked, noticing that Ro Na was still in proximity.

"Oh, nothing. I just found it... weird for you to not say anything to me. But it's okay. I'll go now." Ro Na then hurriedly walked towards the exit. She felt humiliated after standing there like a fool, waiting for Seok Hoon to say anything. She realized there wasn't anything important to be talked about and maybe she was just overthinking Seok Hoon's silence. However, before she could even leave the room, she heard Seok Hoon utter a word to her before letting out an exhausted sigh.

[ Joo Seok Hoon ]

Today was quite tough for Seok Hoon. It was his first time dealing with this big of a responsibility, and he could not, or did not want to share the burden with someone else. Everyone was, of course, expecting him to do a good job as the president. But with all the stress and fatigue he was getting from this, he did not have anyone to rant to and that made it more difficult for him to cope. 

"Hey, Seok Hoon." He heard the very familiar voice speak a few feet away from him and so he turned his back to face Ro Na. "I forgot to give this to you. Thank you by the way." Seok Hoon felt happy upon seeing Ro Na's smile that he was unconsciously smiling as well. But the fatigue he was feeling dominated his whole system that he could not even utter a word to Ro Na.

Seok Hoon took his umbrella from Ro Na's hand and proceeded with fixing his stuff, eager to go home and take his much needed rest. But he noticed that even though seconds already passed, Ro Na was still standing in the same position, as if she was waiting for Seok Hoon to finish. 

"Do you have anything else to say to me?" He asked, getting anxious with the fact that Ro Na was staring at him the whole time. "Oh, nothing. I just found it... weird for you to not say anything to me. But it's okay. I'll go now." Ro Na then walked towards her seat to take her bag before walking her way to the door. But before she could exit, Seok Hoon realized how weird, if not rude, his behavior was to Ro Na. Seok Hoon knew he likes Ro Na to some extent, but during the previous days, he was too focused on his duties as the president that he unconsciously set aside his feelings for her. He realized that he only talked to her about things related to their work as officers and nothing more, which was indeed a weird change.

"Sorry." He uttered before letting out a sigh. He was just really tired and drained from all the hardwork that he could not even properly function anymore. In a normal day, he probably would tease the hell out of Ro Na and bother her about the Choco Pie incident. But today and the previous days were different. He realized how Ro Na was somehow affected with the change in his behavior.

"For what?" Ro Na questioned, looking back at Seok Hoon who was meters away.

"For.... being weird today. I'm just really tired from all the work. I'm sorry if I came off as rude or something." Seok Hoon said as he took his steps towards Ro Na. Fortunately, they were the only two left in the room so no one else could hear his frustrations.

"Well, you don't have to be sorry for it. We all have our bad days, I guess." She said, smiling a little to comfort Seok Hoon. Strangely enough, that simple remark from Ro Na, plus her genuine smile, seemed to put Seok Hoon into a good mood.

"Do you have some time? Let's eat dinner together." Seok Hoon straightforwardly asked, somehow causing Ro Na to be taken aback. He was hoping Ro Na would agree since he wanted to somehow make it up to her. It was also an opportunity for him to get closer to Ro Na - maybe that would help him sort his own feelings.

Ro Na thought for a long minute before flashing a smile, a mischievous looking one to be exact. "Only if it's your treat." She joked. Unfortunately though, Seok Hoon thought it was serious and agreed to it.

He took Ro Na to his favorite samgyupsal restaurant. He would always go here with his family, and he was happy that his first time eating here without them was with Ro Na.

"This place looks expensive. I was just joking about the treat, okay? I'll pay for my food." Ro Na said as she took the seat in front Seok Hoon. Seok Hoon, however, just chuckled at her before finally giving their order to the waitress.

A few minutes after and the meat arrived. Ro Na wanted to do the grilling, but Seok Hoon disagreed, saying it was his way of making it up to Ro Na for his rude behavior.

"Do you even know how to grill meat? I bet you have your housemaid who always does the cooking for you." Ro Na teased, earning a glare from Seok Hoon.

"Kidding aside, you don't have to make up for it okay? It's not even a big deal, Seok Hoon." Ro Na stated. Seok Hoon then momentarily stopped from fixing the meat in the grill and turned to look at Ro Na. "It may not be a big deal for you, but it is for me. I just don't want you to get the wrong idea of me."

"I'm not that type of person, okay? I'm not going to judge you or anything. Besides, you've been an asshole to me since day one with all your constant teasing about the Choco Pie so you kinda have a bad reputation already." Ro Na said, trying to make the situation feel lighter.

"Well, it's only because you won't admit it. I will stop once you tell me the truth." Seok Hoon said before letting out a chuckle. Ro Na then rolled her eyes at him before taking a spoonful of the steamed egg in front of her.

Joking with Ro Na at that moment made Seok Hoon feel a lot better. Putting their first encounter aside, he realized how fun Ro Na would be as a friend. It was cute teasing her because of her priceless reactions but other than that, being with Ro Na felt comforting and that made Seok Hoon feel at ease.

"Well, going back to your unusual attitude, I just feel like you're pressuring yourself so much with the president duties and all. Not that I'm prying into your life, okay? I just notice that while everyone looked happy and excited with the fact that they were organizing the event, you looked so drained and tired of it. I feel like you're not enjoying this as much as you should." Ro Na commented. Upon hearing that, Seok Hoon froze for a moment. He was surprised with the fact that someone, particularly Ro Na, noticed how he was struggling with his newly-found responsibility. The whole day, he thought everyone did not give a damn about him since he was the president - he should be able to handle everything. And hearing this from Ro Na, it did feel good for Seok Hoon.

"Well, it's because I feel like I always have to do a good job, that's why I'm working my ass off. I don't want to disappoint others and make them think that I don't deserve what I have right now. Plus, it wasn't even in my plan to be the class monitor. My stupid twin nominated me for it. And now that I'm here, I feel like I always have to prove myself to others." As soon as he said those words, Seok Hoon felt like a huge chunk of his burden was removed from his shoulders. It wasn't easy, but seeing how Ro Na was intently listening to him urged him to try and express his worries more.

"It's true. We always tend to feel that failing will make us become less than what we originally are. But I believe that you're feeling this way because you're not yet trusting us. You know we're an organization right? You can always count on us to help you when the going gets rough. You don't have to keep everything to yourself and suffer alone. Failure or not, it's always good to share it with someone. And I believe you were made to be a leader. You wouldn't be trusted with this position if you can't do it. Besides, failure is part of growth. If you fail or if you have a hard time, it might occur that some will be disappointed, but there will always be someone who will still believe in you and be proud of what you've become. You'll realize that that person will be more than enough."

Ro Na's words left Seok Hoon speechless, and it's because she was right. He wasn't able to trust other people so he would tend to take everything and work on it on his own. That in and of itself was exhausting him. But other than that, he could not trust himself as well. He always focused on the things he was lacking of. And hearing Ro Na's words now - that having a hard time dealing with things was a good thing - made him feel comforted. He only needed someone to believe in him during those times.

"Bae Ro Na." Seok Hoon called after minutes of thinking. Ro Na then lifted her head and her eyes met with Seok Hoon's. "Will you be that person for me?" Seok Hoon asked, his face full of seriousness.

Ro Na's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Seok Hoon's question. She wasn't expecting Seok Hoon to talk about it anymore after being silent for long, let alone for him to ask that kind of question. Strangely enough, he made Ro Na's heartbeat double and her insides to have this 'fluttering butterflies' feeling.

Not being able to speak, Ro Na thought of a way to escape the situation. She knew she was beginning to feel something because of Seok Hoon, but it was too early to deal with it - she did not want to deal with it yet.

She then dawned her eyes upon the grilling meat and realized that Seok Hoon left it on the grill for too long.

"Hey, Seok Hoon, the meat is already burning!" She exclaimed before taking the tongs from Seok Hoon's hand. Seok Hoon was then alarmed as he saw the burnt side of the meat so he took his chopsticks to remove those from the heat.

Fortunately for Ro Na, she was saved by the burning meat. She did not have to answer Seok Hoon's question anymore - she did not have the answer yet. Believing in Seok Hoon was one thing, but being the only person who will stay and believe in him until the end was another.

Fortunately, Seok Hoon did not talk about it anymore and proceeded on having small talks with Ro Na. However, unbeknown to Ro Na, Seok Hoon was feeling so much happiness and relief after their conversation. He realized how much Ro Na's words comforted him and that drove him more to do a good job. He had hoped that at the end of the day, Ro Na would be able to say yes to his question and be the person who will welcome him with open arms, even in times of failure. And although this day was exhausting, Seok Hoon felt happy knowing he and Ro Na became closer in some way.


End file.
